Running-board saddle for cars.



No. 859,288. PATENTED JULY 9, 1907- x W. E. FOWLER.

RUNNING BOARD SADDLE FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.7, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES: r NVENTOR 2%. M4 d PATENTED JULY 9, 1907.

w. E. FOWLER. RUNNING BOARD SADDLE FOR CARS.

l s SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVYNTOR APPLIOATION FILED JAN.7, 1907.

No. 859,288. PATENTED JULY 9, 1907.

- W. E. FOWLER.

RUNNING BOARD SADDLE FOR GARS.

APPLICATION FILED JANE], 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

[Ia w WITNESSES *rn earns rarer enema.

WILLIAM E. FOWLER, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO W. H. MINERCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO; ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

RUNNING-BOARD SADDLE FOR CARS.

No. esaase.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. FOWLER, a citizen of the United States,residing in Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada,have invented tudinally extending running board on the top or roof ofthe car.

Heretofore, running boards have usually been secured at the peak ormiddle of the car roof' to wooden saddles shaped on the lower side tofit the sloping sides of the roof, and having a fiat upper face andplaced at intervals of a few feet apart on the roof, the boards beingsecured by nails or screws, and frequently some of the planks of therunning board will become loose at one end and spring or warpnp at theend above the surface of the running board and cause the brakeman ortrai'nman to trip in running over the cars, especially at night when theobstruction cannot be'seen, thus endangering life and constituting acause for fatal accident. To overcome this objection or difficulty, manyrailroad companies have endeavored to make the running board of the carof long planks extending in one piece the full length ofthe car, butwith the increased length of modern cars, this has become more or lessimpracticable, and running boards for cars are now quite commonly madeof shorter planks, requiring two or three or more to extend the lengthof the car.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, safe and durableconstruction, suitable for securing and confining the ends of thedifferent planks of which the running board is made so that the ends ofthe plank cannot become lessened or lift up and constitute anobstruction to trip the brakeman or other person running over the car.

My invention consists in the means I employ to practically accomplishthis object or result. That is to say, it consists in connection with acar roof runningboard composed of a plurality of planks placed end toend, of metal saddles at the meeting ends of the running-board planksprovided with sockets to receive and confine the meeting ends of theplanks, the ends of the planks being furnished with slight shoulders oroffsets so that the upper surface of the running-board planks will beflush with the upper surface of the metal saddle.

It further consists in providing the metal saddles with an upright webfor the meeting ends of the running-board planks to abut against.

It further consists in connection with the runningboard planks and metalsaddles at the meeting ends of the planks, of intermediate metal saddleshaving Specification of Letters Patent. I

Application filed January 7, 1907. Serial No. 351,154.

Patented July 9, 1907.

Tfianges to confine and secure the running board planks at their middleportions, although, if desired, the intermediate saddles may be ofwood.

I My invention further consists in the novel construction of parts anddevices and in the novel combinations 1 of parts and devices hereinshown and described.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure1 is a plan view of a car roof embodying niy invention. Fig. 2 is apartial longitudinal ;section on line 2-2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is avertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail centralvertical section of, the metallic saddle for the meeting ends of therunning board planks. Figs. 5 and 6 are cross sections on lines 5- 5 and6 6 respectively of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of my metallic.runni'ng board saddle for the meeting ends of the running-board-planks.Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the intermediate metallicsaddles. Fig. 9 is a cross section of the'saddle shown in Fig. 8. Fig.10 shows a modified construction.

In the drawing, A represents a car roof having the customary sides a andpeak or crown a at the center or longitudinal middle of the roof.

B is the ridge pole and C the carlines.

D is the running-board, the same being composed of a plurality of planksd d meeting end to end, the running-board being ordinarily composed ofthree series of planks side by side.

F is my improved metal saddle for the meeting ends of the planks d d.This saddle F has a bottom angle flange or face F shaped to fit thesloping sides of the roof at the peak or crown, and furnished with carsf having bolt holes f 1 for securing the same to the roof by bolts orscrews f The metal saddle F is also furnished with a plurality ofsockets F F? to receive the meeting ends of the running-board planks (Z(I, each saddle preferably having six sockets, three on one side andthree on the other, to receive the meeting ends of the three sets ofrunning-board planks. The sockets .F preferably have an upright divisionweb f 3 between them to form a stop or abutment for the ends of therunning-board planks. The upper face f 4 of the saddle F is preferablyflush with the upper surface of the running-board planks d d, themeeting ends of the running-board planks being each furnished with anoff-set or shoulder d to accommodate the thicknesses of the upper flangeor web f 4 of the metal saddle. The metal saddle F is preferablyfurnished at its middle with a hole f 5 to receive the bolt G by whichthe saddle is secured to the, ridge pole or other part of the car roofframe. The saddleF also has a fiat sided socket f 6 to receive and holdthe nut g of the bolt G from turning. ,The intermediate saddles may allbe, if desired, of the old wood construction, but I prefer to make someor all of the intermediate saddles also of metal.

H illustrates an intermediate metal saddle and H an intermediate woodsaddle, both forms being shown in Fig. 2. The intermediate metal saddleH is preferably provided with a lower face or flange h to lit thesloping sides of the car roof at the center or peak, and with holt holesh to secure the same in place, and with a straight upper web or flange11 upon which the running-hoard planks rest. And this intermediate metalsaddle is provided with flanges 7:" adapted to ill; over 10 the edges oflaterally adjacent planks and with holding lips hadapted to he hammeredor bent down over the other lateral. edges of the planks, so that eachplank will be secured at both edges and so that the planks may bereadily inserted in place on top of the saddles H. The planks d arefurnished with notches or re cesses (P to receive the holding flanges hand holding lips I) so that the upper faces of these holding lips andholding flanges will be flush with the lipper surface of therunningboard planks. 28 In Fig. 10 l have illustrated in cross section amodiion of my metal saddle F in which the upright division web betweenthe sockets F l is omitted so that the planks may he slipped through thesaddle, if desired. This modified form may be used either for themeeting ends of the planks or an intermediate saddle.

l. in a car roof, the combination with a running-hoard composed of aplurality oi planks placed end to end, of a metallic saddle for theniretins' ends of the running board planks provided with socket toreceive the meeting ends 0! the several .planks, substantially asspecified.

if. in a car, roof, the combination with a runningboard composed 01 aplurality of planks placed end to end, of a nietall tddle for themeeting ends of the running board p ovided with sockets to receive themeeting ends of the several planks, the meeting ends of the runningboard planks having ot7f-sets or shoulders to cause the upper face ofthe running board planks to be flush with the upper face of the saddle,substantially specified.

3. In a car root, the combination with a runninghoard composed of aplurality of planks placed end to end, of a metallic saddle for themeeting ends of the running-hoard planks provided with sockets toreceive the meeting ends of the several planks. the metal saddle havinga divisional web to serve as a stop for the meeting ends of therunningboard planks, substantially as specified.

4. In a car root, the combination with a running-hoard composed of aplurality of planks placed end to end. of a metallic saddle for themeeting ends of the running-board provided with sockets to receive themeeting" ends of the several planks, and intermediate metallic saddles.having holding flanges and lips overlapping the lateral edges of therunning-board planks, substantially as specified.

5. In a car root, the combination with a running-board, composed of aplurality of planks placed end to end, of a metallic saddle for themeetingends of the running board planks provided with sockets to receivethe meeting ends of the several planks the meeting ends of the runningboard planks havingoiflsets or shoulders to cause the upper face of therunning-board planks to be flush with the upper laceof the saddle,intermediate metallic saddles having holding flanges and lipsoverlapping the lateral edges of the running-hoard planks, and therunning-board planks being also provided with recesses to receive saidholding flanges and lips flush with the upper surface of therunningboard planks, substantiall as specified.

6. A metallic running board saddle for the meeting ends of running-beardplanks, having a bottom Web or face litting the sloping sides of the carroof at the center or peak thereof, and provided with a plurality ofsockets to receive the meeting ends of the runningdioard planks,substantially as specified 1 7. it metallic saddle for running-heardplanks having a bottom Web or face fitting the sloping sides oi the carroof and provided with a straight supporting flange for the runningboard planks to rest upon, and with holding flanges and lips adapted toengage the lateral edges of the running-board planks. substantially asspecified.

WILLIAM ll; FOWLER. Witnesses I .T. A. Isznenwoon, P221101" 1.ltnYNoLns.

